Cat and Health

How to tell if your cat is fine, or not.

With this extraordinary type of litter, PrettyLitter, you finally can. If you love your cat, then you really need one! This could very well be the next best invention for cats, as sliced bread was to humans…so read on, and be elated.

Cats, being the mysterious creatures they are, have this uncanny way of hiding any illness for they don’t moan and groan like us humans tend to do. When cats can’t take it anymore, they just helplessly collapse right before our very eyes. By that time, they could be so sick that nursing them back to health might be a long and painfully emotional experience, which could also be a very expensive one.

Most people only take their cats for a checkup when they think there is something not quite right with them. At that stage, the cats could be displaying abnormal behavior, coupled with lack of appetite, being sick, drinking far too much or too little, and their business might not look or smell as usual.

An ingenious product was invented

Motivated by the loss of his pet cat, Daniel Rotman wanted to find a way to make owners aware if their kitties are sick, so they will be in a much better position of curing them quickly before complications arise. He recently developed a technology by which a cat’s health can be monitored on a day-to-day basis. This ingenious product is used as an early-detection alarm, warning of a potential medical issue with your cat prior to it becoming a serious one.

The world was finally introduced to something huge, something wonderful, and something which is enjoying the huge success it rightly deserves: PrettyLitter.

PrettyLitter is a lightweight cat litter that monitors a cat’s health. It’s simple, and yet very effective.

It’s used as normal litter, but when a cat wees on it, it changes color depending on the pH levels in the urine.

The pH levels in the urine may be a sign that your kitty may not be as healthy as you might think. The almost magical action of this particular litter, depending on what color the litter changes to, is an indication that something could be wrong, or there is an abnormality in your cat’s health.

Being used to other types of litter, the instructions that came with this new litter seemed a bit strange to me, but I was quite sure that the manufacturers knew what their product was capable of doing. The instructions dictate that the poo is scooped out, but the patches of wee are to be mixed in with the rest of the litter, which will then absorb the moisture.

I wasn’t too impressed with this proposal, initially, as I imagined the whole litter would change completely yellow within a couple of days, and stink the whole house out. With Rodger, our ginger, we change his normal litter once every three to four days, depending on how hot the weather is. In summer, this needs to be changed at least once every two days, as otherwise, we’ll be choked out.

For one cat, a 4lb bag of this litter should last for one month. It’s not a big bag, and if your cat’s litter tray is huge, then this will seem all lost in it. The litter itself consists of fine white granules which contain little colored bits.

However, a few days into the process of using PrettyLitter, the rest of the granules became yellow. This was hardly surprising! Scooping out the poo was no big deal, so we did that every couple of days, always remembering to mix in the yellow patches into the remaining granules, as instructed. Surprisingly enough, the yellow patches began to disappear as they dried out.

The more time that went by, the deeper the yellow became. Eventually, the wee seemed to have some difficulty in drying out as it did before.

Funnily enough, there was none of the pong I was expecting. I imagined the litter tray itself would disintegrate with just the smell. This just didn’t happen, which meant that the stuff actually did have the ability to absorb odors. It actually worked!

A healthy cat’s wee will turn the wet patch to a yellowish color. Any other color and kitty would need to go for a visit to the vet’s clinic.

After trying out the product for a few weeks, Rodger’s wee always produced yellow patches and no other colors. This was fantastic! We were overjoyed to know there was nothing wrong with him, although he’s a pain in the backside, but that’s a different thing altogether.

Since I’m not living in the States, shipping costs might be quite expensive in the long run. What I have resorted to doing, at least for the time being, is to occasionally purchase a bag. This is just to make sure that Rodger’s still fine. He’s relatively young, so I don’t really foresee any immediate problems, but you really never know with cats.

The color code of the wee is as follows:

Red – BLOOD in the urine, although this might not be seen by the naked eye. The color shows symptoms of bladder inflammation, bladder stones, and urinary tract infection.

Blue – Abnormal ALKALINE levels, which could relate to kidney problems. This can lead to bladder crystal and stone formation.

Green – Abnormal ACIDIC levels, which could also mean problems in the lower urinary tract, metabolic acidosis, and kidney tubular acidosis. Also, this acidity can lead to Calcium Oxalate.

Questions and Answers

Q: Is PrettyLitter safe for my cat?

A: Pretty Litter is feline-safe and eco-friendly. The litter is not absorbed by the bowel, does not swell in the presence of humidity and poses no risk in blocking the digestive tract. In contact with water and gastric fluid it will become a very fine powder and will be eliminated naturally. Even in cases of involuntary ingestion, Pretty Litter presents no danger and is safe.

Q: What size litter box is PrettyLitter designed for?

A: Each bag of PrettyLitter is designed for a medium or “average” size litter box. Typically that measures to 15″ long and 11″ wide. It will provide two inches of depth. If you use a larger litter box you may want to consider buying an extra bag in order to have extra litter to provide proper surface depth.

Q: Will my cat have any problems using PrettyLitter?

A: Any issues with your cat using Pretty Litter are highly unlikely. PrettyLitter is safe, natural and feels like most litters. Whenever you switch litters it is normal if your cat takes a day or two to adapt. While very rare, if you experience any issue with your cat adapting to PrettyLitter start by filling the litter box with 50% of their old litter and 50% PrettyLitter. Gradually your cat will become used to PrettyLitter and you can stop adding their old litter.

Q: What are the instructions for using PrettyLitter?

A: Pour the entire contents of the Pretty Litter bag in to a clean litter box. Ensure two inches of depth covers the entire surface of the litter box.

PrettyLitter absorbs urine and traps odor. The water in the urine evaporates, hygienically sealing the urine in the tiny microgels.

Remove your cat’s feces every day. With the feces sitting in the scooper, shake the remaining litter in the scooper back over the litter box to retain the litter granules. Throw the feces away. Only toss the feces. The urine moisture evaporates.

Thoroughly mix the litter every day to avoid saturating the same spots in the litter box that cats prefer to urinate in. Thoroughly mixing the litter will make it easier for you to spot color change and keep PrettyLitter’s health indicators operating at full capacity.

PrettyLitter granules will continue to be effective throughout the month, evaporating moisture allowing more urine to be absorbed and odors continuously trapped. PrettyLitter health indicators will work just as well on Day 20 as it does on Day 1.

After a month’s use, empty the entire litter box content in to a trash bag. If there is any residue on the bottom of the litter box, clean the litter surface before pouring in your new supply of PrettyLitter.

Regularly check the color of the litter. Shades of dark yellow and olive green are an indication of normal health. If you notice any other colors thoroughly mix the litter and monitor your cat’s PrettyLitter closely over the next 24 to 48 hours. If color change persists you should consider consulting your Veterinarian.

Q: How long does the color remain?

A: If there is a color change in your PrettyLitter, it will remain and will not fade away or get evaporated.

Q: What do the colors indicate?

A: PrettyLitter color changes may indicate a host of potential health issues all of which are detected through urine.

Red: Detection of blood which may indicate Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD), bladder stones/crystals, kidney stones, bladder inflammation, certain types of kidney disease and clotting disorders. In rarer cases it can also mean bladder cancer, an internal injury, poison ingestion, and/or if it’s a female cat over four months old who hasn’t been spayed, she may be in heat.

Blue: High alkaline which may indicate certain types of urinary tract infections.

Any color other than a golden yellow or olive green may mean you need to take your cat to your local Veterinarian.

Sometimes temporary color changes can occur as a result of a new diet, changes in environment or temporary stresses that may cause a cat’s pH levels to elevate or drop. If you see a color change, observe the litter over the next 24 to 48 hours. If the color change persists, consider taking your cat to their Veterinarian for a wellness visit. Use the color changes above as a guide to point your Vet in the right direction. Only a licensed Veterinarian can diagnose any specific issue.

Q: Should I take my kitty to the vets immediately after noticing a color change?

A: In some cases, a cat can experience a temporary stress that affects their urine pH levels. Such as a new diet, household changes, weather, etc. Temporary stresses can cause temporary changes in a cat’s pH levels which would cause a temporary color change in the litter. Given that these stresses are temporary and go away if you see a color change in the litter for more than 48 hours, we recommend contacting your cat’s Veterinarian about a wellness visit.

Q: How is the best way to monitor my cat?

A: When monitoring the litter, try to pay attention to the spot where the cat urinated. It’s the spot itself that came in direct contact with the urine that will show you what you want to know. Give it a minute or two, and if there is a color change and you’ve been monitoring it for 48 hours, then it may be worth a trip to the Vet. We recommend you let your Vet know that PrettyLitter indicated a color change and it might be worth a physical exam and urinalysis.

Q: What do I do with the waste?

A: PrettyLitter traps the urine and odor while releasing the moisture. The only waste you need to dispose of is solid excrement. When in contact with PrettyLitter, the humidity in excrement is immediately absorbed, which traps odors and dries up the feces making it easier to remove with a litter scoop. Just throw it away like you normally would.

Q: My bag of PrettyLitter has an orange or yellow tint to it. Is that normal?

A: That is completely normal, you have nothing to worry about. The tint you see is just the distribution of the health indicators within the white litter. Some bags vary in their tint but your batch is totally fine and working at full capacity. If the health indicators detect an issue and there is a color change from your cat’s urine, you’ll clearly see it regardless of any tint.

Overall, this cat litter is really a MUST-HAVE. It is not a diagnostic tool as only a vet can do this. However, it rings the alarm bells when something is not quite right with your kitty. The best place to visit in such a situation is straight to the vet’s clinic.

This early warning system can save your kitty. The sooner the treatment can start, the better the chances are that your cat will come out of any illness as quickly as possible.

A healthy Rodger is a happy Rodger

Now you know that PrettyLitter exists, what it does, and how it can help you and your kitty, you only have to try it out for yourself…

It might be the best purchase you’ve ever made for your cat.

About The Author

2 comments

I can’t believe I actually read a whole article about cat litter! Especially since I don’t own a cat. Over the Thanksgiving holiday this past week my sister was discussing her Himalayan cat Kiki, who is literally pushing 20 years old! She was bragging about how healthy she is and still seems to be going strong. In spite of that, I think after reading this article about PrettyLitter I will ask her if she is familiar with it. If not, I will suggest to her she should consider purchasing it just to keep a check on Kiki in her “old” age! Thanks for the review and recommendation!

Hello Cynthia, and thank you for your comment. It is quite an interesting product, PrettyLitter, and I do suggest that people actually try it out, especially in the case of older cats, like your sister’s 20-year-old Kiki. This particular litter actually shows problems with a cat even before they surface, that is, when the kitty is showing obvious signs that something is wrong, but unfortunately, by that time, the problem could be so bad, that curing a cat back to normal health might not be so straightforward.